The Switch

In The Switch, Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) decides it’s time she has a kid. The only problem, she is single, so she decides to have the baby by artificial insemination. However, her best friend Wally (Jason Bateman) switches his sperm with the donor’s (Patrick Wilson) without anyone knowing. Kassie moves away from New York to raise her son, but seven years later she returns, and both Kassie and her son are now back in Wally’s life.

The movie is a decent romantic comedy. In some ways, the neurotic Wally resembles a character that might be found in any number of Woody Allen films. Well, maybe he’s not that neurotic, but still, the movie is as much about Wally as it is about Kassie. The movie is even framed by voice over from Wally, making it mostly through Wally’s male perspective. In other words, it’s a romantic comedy that some guys might enjoy. The premise never seems too unbelievable, and it is acted in a serious manner. For the most part, The Switch is enjoyable throughout. It is funny at moments, serious at others, and sometimes genuinely touching.

The special features are decent, but most likely anyone who buys the DVD isn’t looking for anything special here. It’s not like James Cameron was piloting the director’s chair. However, there is a behind the scenes, somewhat cleverly titled “The Switch Conceived,” with some fairly interesting bits. Turns out the movie was based on a short story called The Baster. The most interesting thing about the directors’ (Josh Gordon and Will Speck) style is their use of improvisation. Unlike some directors where improvisation is key, or others who never allow improvisation, these guys allow some improvisation. Once they have a good take on the scene as it is written, they do a couple takes where they let the actors run with it. This provides some funny deleted extras for the DVD, especially through Bateman, but also probably provided a few moments in the final cut as well.

Also contained in the special features section are two deleted scenes. These scenes were obviously deleted for a reason and aren’t that entertaining. One of these scenes was basically reduced to one line of voice over dialogue in the finished version of the movie. The other is a slightly humorous, but ultimately unnecessary scene in which Jennifer Anniston has an interior monologue on the subway while she scopes out potential donors.